Trump may be acquitted as early as todayRepublican indicates he will not support new witnessesHelp us cover the critical issues of 2020. Consider making a contribution 2.17pm GMT A new national poll has found Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden virtually tied in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, with just three days to go until the Iowa caucuses.According to the latest NBC News/Wall Street Journal poll, Sanders is attracting the support of 27% of Democrats acroos the country, while Biden stands at 26%. This marks the first time in the outlets’ polling that Sanders has led the primary.New NBC/WSJ poll: 2020 DemocratsSanders 27% (+6 since Dec.)Biden 26% (-2)Warren 15% (-3)Bloomberg 9% (+5)Buttigieg 7% (-2)Klobuchar 5% (-)Yang 4% (+1)Steyer 2% (+1)Gabbard 2% (-)Patrick 1% (+1)https://t.co/zYlRyAXvjj 1.33pm GMT In another reminder of the stark contradictions and departures from past precedent this impeachment hearing has thrown up, lawyers for the Trump administration argued yesterday, in a separate legal proceeding, that a president can be impeached over failure to comply with subpoenas issued by the House of Representatives, reports Oliver Laughland. Of the two articles of impeachment Donald Trump is currently being tried on, one relates to obstruction of Congress due to his administration’s decision to block witnesses and other evidence requested by the House. Trump’s lawyers have argued repeatedly that the president cannot be impeached over this offense, suggesting the president has a right to protect the executive branch from requests from Congress. Continue reading...

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Mitt Romney is only Republican to vote to convict TrumpIowa results show Buttigieg with tiny lead...

Mitt Romney is only Republican to vote to convict TrumpIowa results show Buttigieg with tiny lead over SandersHelp us cover the critical issues of 2020. Consider making a contribution 12.07pm GMT Marie Yovanovitch, the former US ambassador to Ukraine who was one of the key figures in the impeachment inquiry into Donald Trump, his written for the Washington Post to accuse the Trump administration of having “undermined our democratic institutions”. We must not allow the United States to become a country where standing up to our government is a dangerous act. It has been shocking to experience the storm of criticism, lies and malicious conspiracies that have preceded and followed my public testimony, but I have no regrets. I did — we did — what our conscience called us to do …This administration, through acts of omission and commission, has undermined our democratic institutions, making the public question the truth and leaving public servants without the support and example of ethical behavior that they need to do their jobs and advance U.S. interests. 11.40am GMT To add to the woes of the Iowa Democratic party, Trump supporters began phoning its caucus results hotline on Monday, slowing the reporting process down further, Bloomberg (the news site, not the presidential candidate) reports. According to two participants on the call, Ken Sagar, a state Democratic central committee member, was among those answering the hotline on caucus night and said people called in and expressed support for Trump. The phone number became public after people posted photos of caucus paperwork that included the hotline number, one of the people on the call said. Continue reading...

How did Trump and his team pull off his successful defense? Here’s a look at key...

How did Trump and his team pull off his successful defense? Here’s a look at key factorsWill historians find Donald Trump’s impeachment remarkable because Republican politicians turned a blind eye to such egregious wrongdoing and acquitted him? Or will they find it remarkable because it was the last time a cadre of Republican officials publicly turned against Trump?While most of the career civil servants who defied the president by testifying in the impeachment inquiry do not publicly identify as Republican, many were Trump appointees with strong Republican ties, while other key figures such as former national security advisor John Bolton are wizened party warriors. Continue reading...

Growing number of Republicans say they will vote to acquitRobert Reich: Democrats share blame for the...

Growing number of Republicans say they will vote to acquitRobert Reich: Democrats share blame for the rise of TrumpMartin O’Malley: ‘How do you fall for the Sanders scam?’As a growing number of Republican senators confirmed they will vote to acquit Donald Trump at the conclusion of his impeachment trial on Wednesday, the saga threatened to overshadow the first contest of the Democratic primary season in Iowa on Monday. Related: 'My party is a cult': Republican Joe Walsh on his Iowa challenge to Trump Continue reading...